Radio is slowly dying

[cornflakeguy]

It's all about content.

When Howard Stern goes off of Sirius, I won't pay for Sirius anymore.

If God forbid the Ticket goes off the air, or gets blown up, I won't need a radio anymore.

I download or stream what I want to listen to. I'm guessing Stern will go to an internet show next.

 

[Lancer]

I know to tune in at the top of the hour, catch the news & immediately switch away before I get nailed with the first of many stopsets. (Any of the so-called "News" stations apply to this method.) Then it's off to satellite or Ipod land I go for the rest of the commute.

I used to listen to Jeff Bolton on KLIF but by the time you hear about his "get rid of Congress" (name purposely changed) website for the 20,000th time, lengthy topic setup only to break right away for commercials. He comes back for 5 or 6 minutes & maybe 1 or 2 calls. Bottom of the hour - wash, rinse, repeat. And incidentally, KLIF's online feed is a joke. I have heard people broadcast from their house that have a better stream. It is constantly down or dropping out at random. The online stream is just like HD is for most stations - an afterthought.

I get severe weather alerts on my phone with a monthly pay service. Local radio can't be depended on for warnings - although I will tune in WBAP for Brad Barton AFTER I am notified via cell. I don't normally listen to WBAP.

One thing not mentioned as a radio competitor is the cellphone itself. If you're busy yapping away, you're probably not paying attention to what's on the radio in the first place.

 

[dfaulkner]

An important point that's been mentioned or alluded to several times in this thread... Every Station Should Be Required To Always Have At Least One Person On Duty Who Can Go On The Air Immediately In The Event Of A Local Emergency.

 

[metroneck]

The key to all of this is 'personality'. If you can tap into the emotions of listners via voicetracking, then you are a professional. These stations of yesteryear had personality. The Ticket is the best example of personality driven programming in all of DFW, if not the US. I do not think that the talent on the Ticket is so special, I believe it is the fact that the management allows those men to roam freely. Loose reigns, which spurs creative thought, and strong product. The micromanaging of talent is what has stripped the air of that personality we are all yearning for. Do you agree Tony?

Regards

Looser

 

[radiogroupie]

Radio has been losing listeners each year,because it has lost its compass direction of what it should do, entertain and inform. now its just a place to put an audio billboard instead of a wooden one on the side of a hiway. Sales today have the flair of PT Barnum always suckering someone into buying something, making them believe its wonderful only to be disappointed or addicted to hearing your own spot. Meanwhile the so called regular normal listener could care less and reaches for the off button. Its not compelling to listen to anymore the excitement, glamor is gone. Is a box full of noise and a facade of marketing to people foolish enough to buy ads.

Actually RADIO has increased listeners. Stations in both small/med and large markets regularly pull in thousands and thousands to benefits, concerts, remotes, etc

St.JUDE raises millions and millions every year from radio. Your argument is weak.

To Old Man: Yes it was the beginning of the end in 1996 of:

Full live staffs

 

[oldmanradio]

Radio has been losing listeners each year,because it has lost its compass direction of what it should do, entertain and inform. now its just a place to put an audio billboard instead of a wooden one on the side of a hiway. Sales today have the flair of PT Barnum always suckering someone into buying something, making them believe its wonderful only to be disappointed or addicted to hearing your own spot. Meanwhile the so called regular normal listener could care less and reaches for the off button. Its not compelling to listen to anymore the excitement, glamor is gone. Is a box full of noise and a facade of marketing to people foolish enough to buy ads.

Actually RADIO has increased listeners.

Stations in both small/med and large markets regularly pull in thousands and thousands to benefits, concerts, remotes, etc

St.JUDE raises millions and millions every year from radio. Your argument is weak.

To Old Man: Yes it was the beginning of the end in 1996 of:

Full live staffs

You never mentioned live staff.

You state that 1996 was the beginning of the end of the radio industry.

Period.

 

[oldmanradio]

The key to all of this is 'personality'. If you can tap into the emotions of listners via voicetracking, then you are a professional. These stations of yesteryear had personality. The Ticket is the best example of personality driven programming in all of DFW, if not the US. I do not think that the talent on the Ticket is so special, I believe it is the fact that the management allows those men to roam freely. Loose reigns, which spurs creative thought, and strong product. The micromanaging of talent is what has stripped the air of that personality we are all yearning for. Do you agree Tony?

Regards

Looser

Yes.

 

[oldmanradio]

An important point that's been mentioned or alluded to several times in this thread... Every Station Should Be Required To Always Have At Least One Person On Duty Who Can Go On The Air Immediately In The Event Of A Local Emergency.

Absolutely.

But watch the owners cry a river over that requirement.

 

[oldmanradio]

I get severe weather alerts on my phone with a monthly pay service. Local radio can't be depended on for warnings - although I will tune in WBAP for Brad Barton AFTER I am notified via cell. I don't normally listen to WBAP.

One thing not mentioned as a radio competitor is the cellphone itself. If you're busy yapping away, you're probably not paying attention to what's on the radio in the first place.

A person will receive a tornado warning, for example, faster from the National Weather Service than from Brad Barton or any broadcast weather person ... because the NWS issues the warnings.

Regarding the cellphone and radio, you are also probably not paying much attention to your driving either.

 

[oldmanradio]

How many of you turn on the radio ... out of habit?

Or simply leave it on all the time whether you are listening or not?

 

[copydesk2]

Sort of reminds me of the buffalo herds in the 1800s. So many, such quick profit in the hides. No need for change because the supply is limitless.

:-\

 

[dfaulkner]

An important point that's been mentioned or alluded to several times in this thread... Every Station Should Be Required To Always Have At Least One Person On Duty Who Can Go On The Air Immediately In The Event Of A Local Emergency.

Absolutely.

But watch the owners cry a river over that requirement.

They probably will, if it becomes a requirement.......Now I keep thinking of that Julie London song...wonder if any station around here would play it, if I request it ?

 

[gr8oldies]

I will go as far as to say that every station should have an emergency plan, but it needn't include paying someone to babysit and play Farmville all night just in case something happens. An automation system can be stopped and someone can go on the air immediately from nearly anywhere. Automation systems can be controlled with iPhones. Stations in smaller markets just signed off overnight in the good old days...same would happen with a "warm body" requirement now. BTW, all of CC's stations are tied to a central location in Cincinnati. Law enforcement can reach them and an emergency announcement can be on the air in minutes.

 

[TheBigA]

Are you aware that the local emergency officials, who are the ones responsible in the event of a local emergency, don't staff their facilities 24/7? Why should radio be staffed 24/7 for emergencies when the actual government officials who are supposed to tell radio what to do are at home asleep?

It ain't the 50s anymore. No more "duck and cover." We now have a Department of Homeland Security. THEY are the ones in charge of emergencies. Not some former Marine at a radio station.

 

[davideduardo]

To Old Man: Yes it was the beginning of the end in 1996 of:

Full live staffs

I think if you check there was never a higher percentage of unmanned, automated radio stations than in the 70's.

The number of viable, competitive stations had trippled in just a few years and radio revenues had only gone up by the traditional single-digit percentages. Automated formats from SRP, Bonneville, Drake-Chennault and about 20 others were on thousands of stations, most with little or no live announcing and programming.

 

[davideduardo]

An important point that's been mentioned or alluded to several times in this thread... Every Station Should Be Required To Always Have At Least One Person On Duty Who Can Go On The Air Immediately In The Event Of A Local Emergency.

And all over America, we would witness thousands and thousands of stations signing off at 11 PM and back on at 6 AM.

One of the main reasons stations started broadcasting after 11 PM or Midnight was to insure that the transmitter was on at the start of morning drive. And anyone who did engineering in the 50's and 60's remembers being called by an impatient GM because the transmitter did not turn on... the solution was not to turn it off.

From a programming standpoint, there is no need to be on the air in those hours. If it is too costly to remain on (please name one a couple of stations that make money in overnights), they will be turned off. There is no requirement to broadcast beyond the minimum hours of operation.

But the main issue is that in all but the larger cities of the US, there is very near nobody listening in most of those hours. Emergency messages that nobody hears are no more effective than ones that don't get broadcast at all.

 

[bturner]

Jon-David Wells says it best. We will all admit radio isn't what it was but the fix for radio is the tried and true formula. In every business that gets off track, the move is back to what made them successful in the first place.

I come from Programming and Sales. Now I'm a GM. I know what it is like in front of the microphone and the potential advertiser. I don't find radio complicated. It is not rocket science.

On air is simply being entertaining and memorable. You don't have to be a shock jock to do this.

You identify with your market. I'm of the belief that a great station sounds like its community. If your content could never work 100 miles away, you are likely doing the right thing.

In sales, you invest the time to earn trust and truly work for the client's success through creating a path the radio listeners find welcoming. How can you marry your client to your station's listeners while achieving the goals of your client. A smaller group of clients works best because the salesperson has the time to invest in the relationship.

Another key factor is creating an emotional bond with listeners. I have been amazed how broadcasters miss the biggest programming factor of talk radio. Even more than content, listeners tune in because they feel like they know the on air talent.

Last, trust is essential from the top down. I believe most people want to do a great job and feel they're making an investment in the station they are a part of. Management needs to trust their employees to achieve the goals your company has set. The proceedure doesn't matter...just the end result. Let people 'own' part of the future success and they will take you there. Question every move or micro-manage and you're captain of a sinking ship.

 

[davideduardo]

Better yet, just get rid of the 7-8 minute "stop sets." They turn off listeners, and do a disservice to your sponsors. How you would like to pay retail for the 7th of eight spots in a row? Do you really think anyone is actually listening?

Just spread the spots out over the hour and I’ll bet you see results.

Except that this has been studied.

Most tuneout occurs in the first minute or two of a stopset. More stopsets, even if they are shorter, give more opportunities to tune out.

Spread the stopsets across the hour and loose two, three times as much listening...

 

[TheBigA]

I often wonder how many people who rant about "full live staffs" ever actually worked in the business.

When I was in grad school in the 80s, I did a case study of an FM satellite rock station in our college town. The first step in my education was that while the tower and transmitter was in the city of license, the actual "studio" was 60 miles away, with the co-owned AM. The second step was arriving at the station and seeing no almost one. The only humans were the receptionist, the sales manager, and the GM. The programming came from a satellite dish, commercials and time checks were inserted by automation, and the place was empty all night. They had a contract engineer who came by once a week and made sure the equipment was in spec, and a part time production person (a college student) who loaded the commercials on the carts. This was Top 5 rated station in a Top 60 market. Go back to the exact same station today, and they have three times as many employees, although they're live from 6 AM to 7PM, with mid-days VT'd from another location. But that's more local origination than they had in the 80s. By the way, half of the stations in this market's Top 10 were run the exact same way.

 

[TheBigA]

Jon-David Wells says it best. We will all admit radio isn't what it was but the fix for radio is the tried and true formula. In every business that gets off track, the move is back to what made them successful in the first place.

Yep, keep makin' them buggy whips. Forget about them horseless carriages. Go back to the tried and true formula.

Wake up. The past is gone, and the future NEVER is like the past.